


Plastic

by FinkPloyd



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Gen, Inspired by Music, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Sibling Love, Siblings, Song Lyrics, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 17:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18015491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FinkPloyd/pseuds/FinkPloyd
Summary: My wings are made of plastic.





	Plastic

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked Vanya & Five's relationship portrayed throughout the episodes despite it being brief. For example, in the beginning of episode 2 when Five is in the apocalypse and can't find anyone, he calls for her first. 
> 
> Also I love music and I writing so, I'll often incorporate music into my stories.  
> This fic is inspired by the song "Plastic" by Moses Sumney.

“I know what it is to be broken and be bold  
Tell you that my silver is gold  
Though we're much too old for make believe  
And I know what it's like to behold and not be held  
Funny how a stomach unfed  
Seems satisfied 'cause it's swell and swollen  
And you caught me  
Shootin' cross the sky like a star  
But nobody told me  
To never let it get too far  
You see my silhouette, so you're standing scared of me  
Can I tell you a secret?  
My wings are made of plastic, my wings are made of plastic”

 

Vanya and Number Five had always been close. Not close like Allison and Luther, but close. She was always there to listen to him when they were children. So, when the day came that he decided he had enough of his father’s restraints on his powers, Vanya desperately tried to talk Five out of it.

Vanya felt the anger radiating off her brother that morning as they sat next to each other at the end of the dining table. 

Number Five had been holding an icy stare with his father. He slammed his knife into the table, grabbing everyone’s attention. 

Reginald looked up at him, “Number Five?”

“I have a question.” His tone was terse and snippy. Vanya knew this wouldn’t end well for her brother.

Reginald looked down at his plate, seeming to not find interest in holding eye contact, “Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtimes. You are interrupting Herr Carlson.” 

“I want to time travel.” 

“No.”

“But I’m ready. I’ve been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said,” He demonstrated by simply clenching his fists and appearing next to his father, “See?”

The man sighed, “A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn.” 

Five huffed as everyone went about their breakfast, occasionally glancing over at him.

“Well, I don’t get it.”

“Hence the reason you’re not ready,” Reginald didn’t look at Five throughout the conversation.

Vanya quickly shook her head at Number Five, signaling that he was going down the wrong path. Five looked at her, his expression changing for a moment. 

His eyes narrowed and he grinded his teeth together, “I’m not afraid.”

“Fear isn’t the issue. The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable. Now I forbid you to talk about this anymore”

The boy knew there was some truth to hold in that statement, but his emotions got the best of him. Vanya glanced between her father and her brother, it would end poorly if it continued on its current route. 

Number Five shook his head and stormed out of the room and out the front door. He didn’t look back at Vanya to see her saddened, fearful expression.

“Number Five! You haven’t been excused! Come back here!” Reginald yelled at him as he left, but nobody bothered to chase after him. Not even Vanya. 

…

He was back and his father was dead. He would never admit it, but his father was right about time traveling. Did he regret it though? No. He was much older now, he felt wiser. 

Vanya was 29 now, almost 30. Five felt a mass of different feelings when he saw his sister again. He was relieved that she was okay, physically but maybe not completely mentally. He was angry with his other siblings for their treatment of Vanya. They always had some fucked up god complex that their father instilled in them. Except for Vanya, she was down to Earth. He wondered if that’s why they treated her the way they did, because she knew who they really were. She definitely put that point across in her book, he loved that book. He found it in the rubble of a bookstore and read it. Vanya put everyone exactly in their place. He knew that she would be outcasted more than she already was in their family. 

Family. Were they ever truly a family? Vanya’s book made him question that. Allison and Luther making out in her bedroom. Siblings don’t typically do that. Klaus being locked into a mausoleum for hours on end by their father to “help” him. She was right, they weren’t a real family. That was an illusion and she was revealing its true nature. It had to be done, they couldn’t carry on forever. If anyone should rip their immaculate image to shreds, it should be Vanya. 

When she let him stay at her apartment, he felt guilt. He left her behind all those years ago, maybe he could of brought her along. That would change everything and knowing what he does now, Vanya would be killed by The Commision. Leaving her behind though, brought on a wave of guilt when he saw her. 

She listened to him, just like she did as a child, when he told her about the apocalypse. He was hoping she’d be able to understand, help him. Her reaction was confused, fearful, and especially concerned for him. He appreciated how much she cared. He realized though, she’d never truly be able to understand. She offered her couch as a bed, gave him something to drink, and promised she would try to understand better in the morning. 

He thanked her, and lied to her face. Another reason to feel guilt in their relationship.  
He hated lying to Vanya, it was something he avoided at all costs. Since he came back though, he realized he would need to do a lot of lying to save the world. 

He left, not bothering to leave behind a note. He needed to figure this out, time was going by too fast. He claimed he wanted to save his family from the end of the world, but truly in his family he most cared about Vanya. Despite his feeling that she played a large role in the undoing of the world, he had to save her from it. 

Whenever he had flashbacks of the apocalypse, he’d see his siblings’ corpses. Luther, Diego, Allison, and Klaus. All crushed under rubble from their home, covered in ash and blood. He always called out for Vanya first but never found her body. 

He was afraid of the day he would find her dead. He didn’t want to see his sister, his beautiful sister covered in black ash and dried blood. He would come out of the flashbacks, holding back tears and battling off all the terrifying scenarios involving his sister and her fate.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm super nervous about a job interview so I stayed up until 1AM writing this :/  
> Also, I watched the entire scene of Five and Reginald arguing about time travel so I could write down the conversation word for word. Accuracy is key in fan fiction.


End file.
